Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	3rd November 1892
Colliery:	Derwent
Cause:	(See description below)
Lives Lost:	1

No. 35 on the list occurred at Derwent Colliery, belonging to the Consett Iron Company, Limited, on the 3rd of November, about 3.10 p.m., causing the death of Ralph Proud, a waggonwayman.

It appears deceased, in order to keep the work going, after a stoppage, went to a winch to assist the off-take lad, whose duty it was to work the winch and look after the rapper close to, and was in the act of winching in the tail rope, to couple it to that of another district. He told the lad to rap for "slack," the signal for which was 3½. The lad was positive that he rapped that signal, but the engine man said that the one he got was 2½, which means "Bend-up the tail rope," and in this he is confirmed by the onsetter, who was certain that the signal given on his rapper, which is connected to the one in the engine-house, was 2½.

The engineman proceeded to tighten the tail rope, and in doing so the winch chain was tightened, the barrel revolved, and the handle, in flying around, caught deceased on the head, injuring him so severely that he died the same night.

There was a pall on the winch, but unfortunately it was not in use at the time ; had it been, this man would not have been injured even, for on the end of the winch chain there is a piece of iron the shape of an S, so that in case of this kind, directly the engine tightened the winch on to the pull, this S link would give way and liberate the rope.

Source:

1892 Mines Inspectors Report (C 6986), Durham District (No. 4) by Thomas Bell, H.M. Inspector of Mines, from a copy held in the Scottish Mining Museum, Newtongrange, Midlothian.

	Proud, Ralph, aged 25, Rolleywayman, while pulling rope ends together with a winch the engine was started by mistake, and the handle reversing, struck deceased violently on the head
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